Kaoko Metals (ASX:KAO) has doubled the pace at Chalkos, mobilising a second diamond rig and starting drilling at Donkey Hill while work continues at Otniel.
That gives the company two active drilling fronts across the largely under-explored Namibian copper-silver project.
Kaoko recently raised fresh capital and now holds more than A$23M in cash, giving it room to accelerate the campaign rather than wait for one target to finish before testing the next.
Donkey Hill gets its turn
Donkey Hill is not a blind target.
Kaoko has mapped around 800m of outcropping copper mineralisation across three trends, with historical grab samples returning grades as high as 69.6% copper.
The new drilling is designed to test whether that surface mineralisation continues at depth and whether the different trends begin to connect into something larger.
The copper is visible at surface, the drill has to show what sits underneath it.
Figure 1: Donkey Hill (DH) Prospect. ~800m of outcropping mineralisation at surface.
Otniel keeps running
The second rig does not replace Otniel, it adds to it.
Drilling is continuing there, with Kaoko expecting to provide another progress update in the coming days.
Assays from the maiden holes are also expected in around two to three weeks.
A bigger Chalkos test
The broader Chalkos landholding covers around 400km².
Until now, most of the market focus has been on individual targets.
Two active drill fronts begin to change that.
Kaoko can now test more of the system faster, generate new targets while rigs are turning, and start building a clearer picture of whether Chalkos hosts multiple meaningful mineralised centres.
Figure 2: Otniel – Donkey Hill Trend.
What comes next
The near-term catalysts are straightforward.
More drilling at Otniel, first drilling results from Donkey Hill, pending assays from the first Otniel holes, and continued fieldwork to line up the next targets.
Kaoko has already found copper at surface, now it has two rigs trying to prove how much of it keeps going below.
